Processing defect study and prevention in continuous stepped nanostructures fabricated by nanoskiving

Abstract Cracking of slabs and fracturing of continuous stepped nanostructures were investigated by varying the cutting parameters during the nanoskiving process. The slabs containing continuous stepped nanostructures were obtained under various nanoskiving cutting angles (0°–90°, stepped in units of 5°). The slab cracking and the nanostructure morphology were observed using atomic force microscopy. The pitched line height was greater than that of the straight lines in this nanostructure, and the integrity of structures obtained at a 55° cutting angle was superior to that of 0° and 90°. The cracking of slabs during the cutting process was mitigated by changing the cutting depth or knife tool material. Comparing electrical properties of nanostructures under two coating methods (electron -beam evaporation and magnetron sputtering), sputtering has a lower resistivity because of its larger grain size and tightness of distribution. All defects could be explained by analyzing the cutting force used during the cutting and trimming processes, whereby optimization schemes for fracture and crack prevention were obtained.